Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 183 / Thursday, September 21, 2006 / Notices 55205 

following information collection to the 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) for review and clearance in 

accordance with the requirements of the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The 

submission describes the nature of the 

information collection, the categories of 

respondents, the estimated burden (i.e., 

the time, effort and resources used by 

respondents to respond) and cost, and 

includes the actual data collection 

instruments DHS will use. 

Title: Citizens Corps Affiliated 

Programs and Organizations 

Applications. 

OMB Number: 1660–0066. 

Abstract: This information collection 

will enable Citizens Corps to operate 

effective and efficiently to regularize 

and coordinate activities between 

Citizens Corps and those groups active 

in its mission areas. 

Affected Public: Not-for-Profit 

Institutions. 

Number of Respondents: 8 per year. 

Estimated Time per Respondent: 4 

hours. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 32 hours. 

Frequency of Response: On occasion. 

Comments: Interested persons are 

invited to submit written comments on 

the proposed information collection to 

the Office of Information and Regulatory 

Affairs, Office of Management Budget, 

Attention: Nathan Lesser, Desk Officer, 

Department of Homeland Security/ 

Citizens Corps and sent via electronic 

mail to oira_submission@eop.gov or 

faxed to (202) 395–6974. Comments 

must be submitted on or before October 

23, 2006. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Requests for additional information or 

copies of the information collection 

should be made to Chief, Records 

Management, DHS, Office of 

Community Preparedness, Karen Marsh, 

810 7th Street, NW., Washington, DC 

20531, Karen.Marsh@dhs.gov, phone 

number (202) 577–9820 and fax number 

(202) 786–9619. 

Dated: September 18, 2006. 

Charlie Church, 

Chief Information Officer, Information and 

Technology Division, Preparedness 

Directorate, Department of Homeland 

Security. 

[FR Doc. 06–7911 Filed 9–20–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4410–10–M 

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND 

SECURITY 

Bureau of Customs and Border 

Protection 

General Program Test Extended: 

Quota Preprocessing 

AGENCY: Customs and Border Protection; 

Department of Homeland Security. 

ACTION: General notice. 

SUMMARY: With this notice, the Bureau 

of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) 

announces that the duration of the quota 

preprocessing program test, which 

provides for the electronic processing of 

certain quota-class apparel merchandise 

prior to arrival of the importing carrier, 

is extended until December 31, 2008. 

The quota preprocessing program test is 

currently being conducted at all CBP 

ports and was set to expire on December 

31, 2006. The duration of the test is 

being extended so that CBP can 

continue to evaluate the program’s 

effectiveness. Public comments 

concerning any aspect of the program 

test as well as applications to participate 

in the test are requested. 

DATES: The program test is extended to 

run until December 31, 2008. 

Applications to participate in the test 

and comments concerning the test will 

continue to be accepted throughout the 

testing period. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments 

regarding this notice or any aspect of the 

program test should be addressed to 

Christine Kegley, Quota Enforcement 

and Administration, Bureau of Customs 

and Border Protection, 1300 

Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Room 

5.3-D, Washington, DC 20229, or may be 

sent via e-mail to HQ.Quota@dhs.gov. 

An application to participate in the 

program test must be sent to the CBP 

port(s) (Attention: Program Coordinator 

for Quota Preprocessing) where the 

applicant intends to submit quota 

entries for preprocessing. Information 

on CBP port addresses may be obtained 

from the CBP Web site at http:// 

www.cbp.gov (Office Locations). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Christine Kegley, Quota Enforcement 

and Administration, 202–344–2319. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

On July 24, 1998, the Bureau of 

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) 

published a general notice in the 

Federal Register (63 FR 39929) 

announcing the limited testing of a new 

operational procedure regarding the 

electronic processing of quota-class 

apparel merchandise. The test, 

authorized under § 101.9(a), CBP 

Regulations (19 CFR 101.9(a)), was 

commenced on September 15, 1998, at 

two ports. Quota preprocessing permits 

certain quota entries (merchandise 

classifiable in chapter 61 or 62 of the 

Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the 

United States (HTSUS)) to be filed, 

reviewed for admissibility, and to have 

their quota priority and status 

determined by CBP prior to arrival of 

the carrier, similar to the method of 

preliminary review by which non-quota 

entries are currently processed. The 

purpose of quota preprocessing is to 

reduce CBP processing time for 

qualified quota entries and to expedite 

the release of the subject merchandise to 

the importer. To this end, participants 

in the quota preprocessing test have 

been allowed to submit quota entries to 

CBP up to 5 days prior to vessel arrival 

or after the wheels are up on air 

shipments. The July 24, 1998, Federal 

Register notice described the new 

procedure, specified the eligibility and 

application requirements for 

participation in the program test, and 

noted the acts of misconduct for which 

a participant in the test could be 

suspended and disqualified from 

continued participation in the program. 

The test was scheduled to continue for 

a six-month period that expired on 

March 14, 1999. 

On March 25, 1999, January 6, 2000, 

and November 30, 2000, CBP published 

general notices in the Federal Register 

(64 FR 14499, 65 FR 806, and 65 FR 

71356, respectively) that extended the 

program test through December 31, 

2002. These extensions of the test 

procedure were undertaken so that CBP 

could further evaluate the effectiveness 

of the program and determine whether 

the program test should be expanded to 

other ports. By a notice published in the 

Federal Register (66 FR 66018) on 

December 21, 2001, the test was 

expanded to a selected number of 

additional ports in order to enable CBP 

to continue to study the program’s 

effectiveness and determine whether the 

program should be established 

nationwide on a permanent basis. 

The expansion of the test to the 

additional 15 ports was determined by 

the volume of quota lines of apparel 

merchandise entered at these ports. By 

a notice published in the Federal 

Register (67 FR 57271) on September 9, 

2002, CBP expanded the test to all CBP 

ports effective as of October 9, 2002, and 

extended the duration of the program 

test until December 31, 2004. CBP 

further extended the duration of the test 

until December 31, 2006, by a notice 

published in the Federal Register (70 

FR 1732) on January 10, 2005. 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
55206 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 183 / Thursday, September 21, 2006 / Notices 

The duration of the test is now being 

further extended so that CBP can 

continue to evaluate the program’s 

effectiveness. Prospective applicants 

may consult the July 24,1998 and 

December 21, 2001, Federal Register 

notices for a more detailed discussion of 

the quota preprocessing program and 

the September 9, 2002, Federal Register 

notice for eligibility criteria. All 

requirements and aspects of the quota 

preprocessing test, as set forth in these 

notices, continue to apply. 

Dated: September 18, 2006. 

Jayson P. Ahern, 

Assistant Commissioner, Office of Field 

Operations. 

[FR Doc. 06–7882 Filed 9–20–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 9111–14–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND 

SECURITY 

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration 

Services 

[USCIS No. 2391–06; DHS Docket No. 

USCIS–2006–0026] 

RIN 1615–ZA37 

Expanding Pilot Program Affecting the 

Filing Procedures for Certain Form I–

485 Applicants Residing Within the 

Jurisdiction of the Dallas, El Paso, or 

Oklahoma City Offices 

AGENCY: U.S. Citizenship and 

Immigration Services, DHS. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: This Notice expands a pilot 

program being conducted by U.S. 

Citizenship and Immigration Services 

that changes the procedures for certain 

aliens filing Form I–485, ‘‘Application 

to Register Permanent Residence or 

Adjust Status,’’ based on a family 

relationship, the diversity visa lottery, 

or qualification for most special 

immigrant categories. Under the 

expanded pilot program, affected aliens 

residing within the jurisdiction of the 

Dallas District Office, El Paso District 

Office, or Oklahoma City Sub-Office 

will be required to file Form I–485 and 

any necessary documentation and fees 

in person at the appropriate local office, 

rather than by mail, after self-scheduling 

an appointment using Internet-based 

InfoPass. This pilot program tests an 

alternative to current filing and 

processing procedures with the goal of 

achieving a 90-day processing time for 

affected Forms I–485. 

DATES: As applied to the Dallas District 

Office, this Notice is effective October 

23, 2006 and will terminate on 

September 21, 2007. As applied to the 

El Paso District Office and Oklahoma 

City Sub-Office, this Notice is effective 

November 20, 2006 and will terminate 

on September 21, 2007. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kristie Krebs, Adjudications Officer, 

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration 

Services, Department of Homeland 

Security, 20 Massachusetts Avenue, 

NW., Suite 1000, Washington, DC 

20526, Telephone (202) 272–1001. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

A. General Filing Requirements 

To apply for lawful permanent 

resident (LPR) status, aliens residing 

within the United States must file Form 

I–485, ‘‘Application to Register 

Permanent Residence or Adjust Status,’’

along with any required documentation 

establishing eligibility, at a U.S. 

Citizenship and Immigration Services 

(USCIS) Service Center or USCIS’

Chicago Lockbox Facility. Currently, 

applicants must file Form I–485 by mail. 

The filing location is specified in the 

instructions to Form I–485 and on the 

USCIS Web site, http://www.uscis.gov, 

and depends on the immigrant 

classification on which the Form I–485 

is based and the alien’s residence. For 

example, an alien whose Form I–485 is 

based on his or her marriage to a U.S. 

citizen and who resides in the State of 

Colorado must file Form I–485, with a 

concurrently filed Form I–130, ‘‘Petition 

for Alien Relative,’’ or evidence that 

such Form I–130 has already been 

approved (typically in the form of a 

Form I–797, ‘‘Notice of Action,’’ issued 

by USCIS), supporting documentation, 

and required fees to USCIS’ Chicago 

Lockbox Facility. See Direct Mail 

Instructions for Form I–485. 

After mailing-in the Form I–485 

application package, the applicant will 

receive an appointment notice from 

USCIS to appear at one of USCIS’

Application Support Centers (ASCs) for 

biometrics capture, which involves 

electronically taking the applicant’s 

photograph, fingerprints, and signature. 

USCIS uses this information to conduct 

background checks and produce a 

secure, biometric Permanent Resident 

Card (Form I–551) in the event of 

application approval. For those 

immigrant categories requiring a 

personal interview, the applicant (and 

petitioner, if applicable) also will 

receive an appointment notice to appear 

at the local USCIS office for a personal 

interview. See, e.g., 8 CFR 245.6 

(interviews are required for adjustment 

applicants but may be waived for 

children under the age of 14, when the 

applicant is clearly ineligible for 

adjustment of status, or when deemed 

unnecessary by USCIS). Once 

adjudication is completed, USCIS will 

mail the applicant a written decision. 8 

CFR 103.2(b)(19). 

B. Dallas Pilot Program 

USCIS is continually striving to 

improve the efficiency of the processing 

of Forms I–485 to reduce processing 

times and prevent backlogs. By statute, 

USCIS has the authority to ‘‘implement 

innovative pilot initiatives’’ to eliminate 

current and prevent future backlogs in 

the processing of immigration benefits. 

See 6 U.S.C. 271(a)(5). Based on this 

statutory authority, USCIS launched a 

pilot program in May 2004 to test an 

alternative to current filing procedures 

for certain Form I–485 applicants to 

achieve a 90-day processing time. See 

http://uscis.gov/graphics/fieldoffices/ 

dallas/Pilot_overview.htm. The pilot 

program, called the ‘‘Dallas Office Rapid 

Adjudication’’ pilot program, has been 

limited to the Dallas District Office and 

is a voluntary pilot program. Id. 

1. Pilot Program Eligibility 

Requirements 

To be eligible to participate in the 

pilot program, the applicant must be 

filing Form I–485 based upon: 

(1) A family relationship (e.g., spouse, 

parent, child, sibling) demonstrated by 

an approved or concurrently filed Form 

I–130 with an ‘‘immediately-available’’

immigrant visa as explained in the 

instructions to Form I–130 (see 8 CFR 

204.1(a)(1)); 

(2) The diversity visa lottery (see 

Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) 

sec. 203(c); 8 U.S.C. 1153(c); 8 CFR 

245.1(a)); 

(3) Qualification as a battered or 

abused spouse or child (see 8 CFR 

204.2(c)) demonstrated by an approved 

Form I–360, ‘‘Petition for Amerasian, 

Widow(er), or Special Immigrant;’’ or 

(4) Qualification as a Special 

Immigrant, as set forth at section 

101(a)(27) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 

1101(a)(27), demonstrated by an 

approved or concurrently filed Form 

I–360, excluding special immigrants 

who are religious workers. 

2. Pilot Program Filing Procedures 

Prior to the Dallas pilot program, an 

applicant falling within one of these 

categories would have had to file his or 

her Form I–485 package by mailing it to 

the Chicago Lockbox Facility in 

accordance with the Direct Mail 

Instructions for Form I–485. Instead, 

under the filing requirements of the 

Dallas pilot program, eligible applicants 

now may file their Form I–485, together 

with any petition being concurrently 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES